Frankfurt Hahn

I've flown to FRANKFURT-HAHN airport many, many times.
Do I choose this airport because it is one of the most efficiently-run facilities of its kind? Maybe Hahn is the tourist destination to die for or the business capital of Western Europe? Perhaps it is conveniently located as a hub for travel further afield, or set amidst spectacular scenery?

Not a bit of it.
It's far more mercenary than that.

I ...
...at Ryanair will take me there for practically nothing. The last 3-4 times I've flown there, it has cost me 1p each way (plus taxes which are just under £20 return).

Ah, typical mean Scotsman eh?
- Could be.

It could also be that if you look closely at the back of my head, and slightly part what little hair is left, you'll find that my head, in fact, does NOT zip up the back. It costs me just about as much in ... more

I've flown to FRANKFURT-HAHN airport many, many times.
Do I choose this airport because it is one of the most efficiently-run facilities of its kind? Maybe Hahn is the tourist destination to die for or the business capital of Western Europe? Perhaps it is conveniently located as a hub for travel further afield, or set amidst spectacular scenery?

Not a bit of it.
It's far more mercenary than that.

I usually end up flying to FRANKFURT-HAHN because those nice people at Ryanair will take me there for practically nothing. The last 3-4 times I've flown there, it has cost me 1p each way (plus taxes which are just under £20 return).

Ah, typical mean Scotsman eh?
- Could be.

It could also be that if you look closely at the back of my head, and slightly part what little hair is left, you'll find that my head, in fact, does NOT zip up the back. It costs me just about as much in petrol to drive the 60 miles or so to Prestwick Airport than it does to fly to Germany. But I digress.

Where was I?
Or, to be more accurate, where is IT?

Contrary to the impression given by it's name, this airport is NOT in Frankfurt. It's actually getting on for 70 miles south-west of the city. It's situated in the region of Rhineland called Hunsrück.
What? You're not familiar with the geography of the region?
It's slap bang in the middle of a finger of land just south of where the rivers Mösel and Rhine join forces at Koblenz.
No?
Oh for goodness sake, just go to mapquest.com

It's reasonably well situated for access to many cities in Germany, France, and Luxembourg. Indeed, bus services are co-ordinated so that the bus service compliments the flight timetable. But, to my knowledge, there is no train service nearby.

HAHN was at one time an air base for the USAF but with the end of the cold war, it was vacated and in danger of falling into ruin. Step in Ryanair and budget flights.
The airport hasn't just survived with the arrival of cheap flights, but has positively flourished.
When I first flew there, around 3-4 years ago, the terminal building was really not much more than a big shed with very limited facilities. Nowadays, although it still has the feel of a small, provincial airport (hardly surprising since that's exactly what it is), there are around a half-dozen or so assorted retail outlets, from hairdressers - to souvenirs - to duty-free.
It's hardly Schipol, but let's face it, if you've got a flight of just over an hour ahead of you, and you can check-in just 30 minutes prior to departure, who needs a huge shopping mall with over-inflated prices anyway.
Personally, the less time I spend cooped up in an airport terminal building, the happier I am.

As for eating and drinking, HAHN is actually surprisingly well catered for in that department. There are four cafes/restaurants in the terminal, and an assortment of bars and restaurants on the campus.

The campus?

As I mentioned earlier, HAHN used to be a USAF base and the area immediately adjacent to the terminal, and its attendant buildings, is made up of this former base. It's a vast sprawl of what once were the administration and accommodation blocks which serviced the base.
When we first travelled here, these were mainly semi-derelict but this is what now forms the campus. Much of it has been converted into a business park with meeting/conference halls, while a lot of the former housing is being/has been/will be renovated for private housing.
This is also where you'll find Pizzerias, American-style sports bars and various other bars and restaurants and hotels.
There's even a go-kart track and a 9-hole golf course!

• WHERE CAN YOU FLY TO/FROM? •

There are a few different airlines who use Hahn but far and away the largest company is Ryanair. The destinations that can be travelled to are:

Alghero * Berlin - Schönefeld * Bologna-Forli * Bournemouth * Gerona * Glasgow-Prestwick * Gothenburg * Kerry * London-Stansted * Milan-Bergamo * Mallorca * Malmö * Montpellier * Oslo-Torp * Pescara * Pisa * Rome-Ciampino * Shannon * Stockholm-Skavsta * Varna * Venice-Treviso

• HOTELS •

There are several disused hotels surrounding the airport from the time when it was a USAF base but these have lain empty for a number of years. The last time I was there (Sept 03) at least one of these hotels was undergoing renovation. There are also several hotels in the neighbouring towns and villages and these can be accessed on the airport's website. But here's my story.....

Two years ago the timetable changed so that the return flight to Prestwick, instead of being at a convenient 2pm, was changed to 9am. Luckily, around the same time, a brand new hotel was opened on the campus. This hotel is the Steigenberger Esprix Hotel, part of a quality chain. It's quite a small hotel but the rooms are large, modern, well-equipped and sound-proofed. They do a 'Park & Fly' deal whereby a double room costs 68 euros instead of the standard 79 - which is also the going rate for most hotels in the area.
The hotel is situated on the campus, a short walk from pubs and restaurants and about a mile or so from the terminal building. There is a shuttle-bus which tours the campus and the terminal at 15 minute intervals.

There are several car rental options available at HAHN and the following companies all have desks within the terminal building.

Avis
Europcar
Euro Mobil
Hertz
Option
Sixt Car Hire

I mainly use Hertz but have also used Avis. The desks are just a few metres from the arrivals exit and usually not too busy so picking up your car is relatively simple.

• CONCLUSION •

Hahn is a quiet airport which is growing daily due to the growth of the budget airline industry. The terminal building is open-plan, modern and exceptionally clean.
Because it's not overly busy and crowded, there's a nice relaxed feel to the place and the staff are friendly without being inefficient - even the security staff and passport control are quite laid-back and casual, swapping smiles and jokes with the passengers. That's not to say the security is lax in any way, it's just that you're not made to feel like some drug-smuggling, anarchic, grenade-wielding terrorist (not that I'd ever wield a grenade!) simply because you have the audacity to want to travel - the same can't be said for a great many airport staff.
Although to be fair, I think the staff in smaller airports probably have less stress and can afford to be more customer-friendly.

Many people would argue that HAHN is in the middle of nowhere (although everywhere is somewhere) and it's miles from Frankfurt. While it's true that it's not all that close to Frankfurt, that's never been an issue for me. I've used Hahn to get a cheap flight to continental Europe, picked up a car, and then went wherever the notion took me. You can be in Switzerland in 3 hours, Austria takes a couple of hours longer. France, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands can all be reached in 1-2 hours.
The Black Forest is less than 2 hours drive, the Rhine is under 30 minutes distant, and the Mosel is just 10 minutes away.

As you can see, there are plenty of options within a short distance of Hahn.

You can get much more detailed information, including timetables, site plans and a full list of services available from the airport's official website.
http://www.hahn-airport.de/index_e.php

** A black humour footnote:

At the height of the foot and mouth outbreak in the UK a couple of years ago, we flew into Hahn where, as part of the safeguards, certain precautions had to be met. On departing the plane and arriving at the terminal building, we noticed sign pointing in the direction we had to go to be 'disinfected' by walking over a mat. It's a little ironic and somewhat disconcerting standing in a long line of people carrying items of luggage and reading signs saying, "AUF DIESE WEISE DESINFIZIERT". Let me tell you, if there had been the slightest hint of a shower-room, I'd have been off my mark like an Olympic sprinter on steroids (but then, aren't they all?)

Thanks for reading

©proxam2003
 

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